Guidelines after acceptance of an abstract: 

The research as such is the basis. The abstract submission is one thing. The presentation is another.

Oral presentation 

• The presenting authors must have good expression in English,
• The presentation should reflect the abstract, including the same structure,
• The data presented should be the same as in the submitted abstract,
• Your presentation should be in Powerpoint. We cannot guarantee compatibility with Keynote or other presentation software.
• The time allowed for the presentation is 12 minutes + 3 minutes for questions (in the case more high quality abstracts are accepted, this can be lowered down to 10 minutes + 2 minutes for questions; you will be notified of this directly and in advance).
• Please dress appropriate for a formal presentation.
• Try to be well prepared, to reduce nervousness and anxiety around the presentation.

Dr. Jean-Benoit Tanis prepared a guiding text for the powerpoint and oral presentation, based on personal experience : 

There is unfortunately, no recipe to make a good power point or a good oral presentation, I will just try to give some tips that I find useful to prepare a research presentation. 

How to make a power point for a research presentation?

The key is to keep it simple: a simple presentation with clear take home messages is usually a success. Use a light slide background; the exception is diagnostic imaging when a dark background can be more appropriate. Use graphs and diagrams as much as possible, it facilitates clearer explanation and audience understanding. Animations are good for emphasising results and explaining pathways, but once again – keep it simple. When including text, limit it to 4-5 lines per slide; full sentences are unnecessary and only the main idea should appear on the slide. Only information you discuss should be present on the slides. During the presentation, it is easy for the audience to get lost or think about something else for few seconds: therefore, a clear presentation structure is paramount and having a plan written on each slide can make it easier to follow. You can add the slide number on each slide as it may direct questioning. Some questions can also be predictable and preparing few slides for some expected questions can be useful.

How to prepare an oral presentation for an abstract?

Practice is essential until you feel confident – whether that is 2 or 20 times! Spontaneity is good, therefore avoid learning a set text by heart. Knowing the first couple of sentences may alleviate initial stress. Short simple sentences are best, especially if you do not speak in your native language. Make it dynamic – change your voice tone, speed of speaking, or even use gestures to emphasise a point. A short silence is a powerful way of stressing an idea. Do not forget to look at the audience as much as possible. 

Poster presentation 

• The title of your poster should remain exactly the same as originally sumitted for the abstract review process,
• Posters should be presented at the entire congress in A0 size and portrait format,
• Pin boards will be available, as well as pins and/or double sided adhesive tape,
• If there's a Poster Reception organized at the congress, you are expected to be present on site and in the vicinity of your poster in order to answer possible questions.
• You will be asked to provide also a digital version of your poster (ppt or pdf), to be put on the ESVONC website (member's section)